If you haven't read Part 1 of my two-part blog on Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY, be sure to check it out. There you'll find my write-up about the resort's other top-ranked course, Kaluhyat, as well as some additional context about the resort and the Oneida Indian Nation, which owns and operates it.
My second round of the day at Turning Stone was played at Atunyote Golf Club. Named after the Oneida word for "eagle," Atunyote ranked No. 70 on Golf Digest's 2019-2020 list of the top-100 public courses in the U.S. In 2006, the course hosted both the PGA Professional National Championship and the B.C. Open in its final year on the PGA Tour schedule. And from 2007-2010, Atunyote hosted the PGA Tour's Turning Stone Championship. The course was designed by Tom Fazio and has long been ranked among the top resort courses in the country.
Atunyote is a short drive from the rest of the resort and its golf facilities. From the main road -- State Route 31 -- it would almost be easy to drive right on by if you don't notice the small sign nestled in the flower bed set into the middle of the small driveway just off the road. The main gate to the golf course, however, is something to behold.
The large gates and arch are sclupted metal, created to look like the intertwined arms of great trees with animals -- fish and turtles and great birds of prey -- flying, swimming and climbing among its vines and branches. My pictures really don't do it justice. I was in awe of it when I drove up and had to get out of my car to snap some photos before using the security call box to connect with the clubhouse and have them open the gate so I could proceed onto the grounds for my tee time.
Much as I'd found it at Kaluhyat, the influence and heritage of the Oneida Indian Nation is on prominent display within the clubhouse at Atunyote. I loved the way the culture of the Oneida is so well represented among the properties of the resort.
Also on display in a hallway between the main lobby and the pro shop are caddie bibs and pin flags signed by the winners of the PGA Tour events the course hosted -- featuring winners such as Steve Flesch (2007), Dustin Johnoson (2008), Matt Kuchar (2009) and Bill Lunde (2010).
Out on the course, just as I'd found at Kaluhyat, each hole includes signage that depicts the hole and features educational messaging. Whereas the signs at Kaluhyat offered up messaging about the region, the Oneida and Native American culture, the signs at Atunyote display information about the birds after which each hole is named. To read the text from each of the course's 18 hole signs, visit Turning Stone's Atunyote course page and scroll through the course video tours at the bottom of the page.
The course itsef stretches 7,315 yards from the tips with blue tees at just about 7,000 yards, whites at 6,561, and two sets of forward tees at just over 6,000 and 5,100 yards. I played the white tees, so all yardages from here on out will be based on those yardages.
Hole No. 1 - 354 Yards - Par 4 - Red-Tailed Hawk
The opening hole is wide and inviting. Fairway bunkers left and right are ideally avoided from the tee, but the hole is short enough that even a ball that finds one of the bunkers shouldn't require much more than a pitching wedge or 9-iron to reach the green.
Avoid the three bunkers left of the green, and this hole should serve up a relatively easy par or better. The green slopes from back to front, making it an ideal hole to play aggressively from the fairway in hopes of an early birdie.
It was here I realized that I didn't have my range finder. I'd had it for my earlier round on the Kaluyhat course, but it wasn't in my bag at Atunyote. Suddenly it occurred to me that the head pro, Jeff Kleinman, had come out to meet me as I came in from 18 over at Kaluyhat. As we talked, one of the bag attendants had cleaned my clubs and taken my cart away without realizing my range finder was still in the basket. At least, that's what I hoped had happened. After I finished up this hole, I shot a quick email to Jeff and left a voice mail for him at the pro shop over at Kaluyhat, hoping they would find my range finder and that I could pick it up after my round.
Hole No. 2 - 401 Yards - Par 4 - Ruffled Grouse
Tom Fazio courses just feel big. The fairways feel big. The bunkers feel big. The greens feel big. And that was certainly the case at Atunyote. As I stood on the tee on No. 2, I didn't think there was any way I could miss the fairway. The fairway is wide, and the only real trouble off the tee comes in the form of a couple of fairway bunkers off to the right -- about 250 yards from the tee.
The challenge on No. 2 is in the approach shot, with two large greenside bunkers pinching the opening to the green such that it feels like you've got to fly the ball to the hole. Short and sandy isn't dead on this hole, as neither bunker is especially deep, but it's worth taking a little extra club to make sure you get the ball to the putting surface.
Hole No. 3 - 173 Yards - Par 3 - Red-Headed Woodpecker
A mid-length par-3, this hole offers players the opportunity to fly the shot all the way to the hole or to play a low, running shot into the wide opening at the front of the green. The ground running up to the green slopes from right to left, which could help to feed a well-played ball to a middle or back-left pin position ... but beware not to play too far left as a ball that finds the greenside bunker could make for a difficult short-sided up-and-down.
Hole No. 4 - 367 Yards - Par 4 - Killdeer
I really enjoyed Nos. 4 and 5 at Atunyote, both of which are flanked on the left by a large pond. Typically a pull/hook player, water on the left is something I ought to fear, but I find it tends to make me focus even more on playing a ball into the fairway. Bunkers on both sides of the fairway make the driving area tighter on this hole than on earlier holes, and it takes a good blast from the tee to either keep the ball between them or to fly one over them.
The green is guarded by a large bunker on the right and water left. There appears to be room to play a ball left of the green, but be warned -- the ground slopes down toward the water there, and a shot that appears safe to the left can bound down into the wet stuff. That said, long is safe, so take a little extra club and fire for the heart of the green.
Hole No. 5 - 491 Yards - Par 5 - Kingfisher
No. 5 is an awesome par-5 -- a gettable hole if you're willing to flirt with the water that runs down the entire left side. The hole plays longer than its yardage might suggest, however. As I stood on the tee, I was tempted to try to hit a big draw around the bend and leave myself a 200--yard shot into the green. But the bunkers on the left side of the fairway make that a much more dangerous strategic choice. It takes a drive of 270 yards to fly them, and the first bunker comes into play just 215 yards or so from the tee. The smarter shot is to play out toward the fairway bunker on the right -- possibly even with something less than a driver -- to avoid the sand. But doing so could take any chance at reaching the green out of play.
In the end, I decided to play it as a three-shot hole. The water left and bunkers short and right of the green just made it a smarter decision to play safe off the tee and then lay up to about 90 yards.
I was just about to play my shot to the green when the starter came riding up over a rise and down the fairway toward me. For a moment, I thought I might have done something wrong. But he pulled up alongside of me and asked if I'd mind a little help for the rest of my round. And then he presented me with my range finder. Once the folks at Kaluyhat had gotten my message about the lost tool, they didn't just hold it for me at the pro shop. Somebody from the staff there got in their car and drove it over to Atuynote, and the starter delivered it to me on the course just so I wouldn't have to play without it for the rest of the round. I seriously cannot say enough good things about the staff and the quality of service at Turning Stone. Fresh off a precise yardage from my range finder -- 88 yards -- I flushed my lob wedge to about six feet ... and proceeded to miss the birdie putt.
Hole No. 6 - 154 Yards - Par 3 - Mallard
The 6th hole is a cool little par-3. Just 154 yards, this hole ought to be relatively easy. But a pond short and right and a greenside bunker left make this a hole you want to play through the air. The green slopes from left to right and back to front with subtle undulations that make it a challenge to putt. Par is a good score on this hole.
Hole No. 7 - 394 Yards - Par 4 - Great Horned Owl
No. 7 is a near-90-degree dogleg right. It's about 265 yards to clear the fairway bunker at the bend, so the safe play is either short of the bunker or out to the left, leaving yourself a mid- to long-iron or hybrid into the green.
From just short of the bunker, it's about 165 yards to the center of this green that is angled from left to right. A long greenside bunker runs the length of the right side of the green, making it near impossible to play a running shot into this hole unless you are on the far-left side of the fairway. If you can pull it off, a fade that starts out at the left edge of the green with enough distance to carry to the middle is likely the ideal approach.
Hole No. 8 - 515 Yards - Par 5 - American Robin
No. 8 is a big, straightaway par-5. Avoid the fairway bunker on the left -- about 225 yards from the tee -- and you should have a shot at going for this green given its downhill approach.
Despite the large greenside bunkers, the green on No. 8 offers up a wide mouth that makes it ripe for long, running approaches from fairway woods for those players who opt to go for this green in two. It certainly can be played more conservatively with a lay up and a wedge into the green. Either way, this is a scoring hole and one that most players should take advantage of.
Hole No. 9 - 403 Yards - Par 4 - Purple Martin
One of my favorite features on the course is the telephone booth behind the 9th tee. Use the phone to connect to the restaurant up at the clubhouse, and your order will be waiting for you at the turn when you finish No. 9.
The 9th hole is a great long par-4. The fairway looks huge at first glance, but it tightens significantly between the two fairway bunkers, right at about the distance most folks are likely to land their drives.
From the fairway, the hole plays significantly uphill with a big, deep bunker right of the green. Be sure to take enough club to get the ball to the pin. This green slants from back to front, and balls left short can and will come back down the green either into the bunker or 25 yards down the fairway.
Hole No. 10 - 374 Yards - Par 4 - Eastern Meadowlark
The 10th hole opens with a downhill tee shot to a fairway that bends gently from left to right. Any ball played right of the fairway bunker on the left should easily find this wide fairway. There is water way, way off to the right that can come into play on the approach but shouldn't be an issue off the tee. For the most part, balls hit to the right are likely to only find some tree trouble.
The approach shot plays to a slightly elevated green guarded by a large bunker in front that obscures much of the putting surface, making the green appear smaller than it is. The safe play, regardless of pin position, is to the right side of the green, which offers the most depth and the best chance to two-putt for a par.
Hole No. 11 - 189 Yards - Par 3 - House Wren
No. 11 kicked my butt, but I love this hole. The creek that runs down the right side of the hole should be so easy to avoid. Really, it can't be more than about 8 feet wide at any point within 30 yards of the green. And, in fact, there is no reason at all to hit a ball anywhere near it. There is all kinds of room left. Just aim left of the greenside bunker -- literally anywhere left of the bunker -- and the worst case scenario ought to be having to get up and down from the rough for a par or two-putt bogey. In my case, I somehow hit my 5-iron about 25 yards right of the green, which meant I had to first figure out how to cross the hazard (stepping on rocks as there are no bridges because you aren't supposed to be over there!). And then I had to hit a pitch shot across the creek (which suddenly seemed about as wide as the Colorado River) to a short-side pin. I was lucky to get out of there with a double bogey when it was all said and done. Next time, I'm playing left.
Hole No. 12 - 494 Yards - Par 5 - Spotted Sandpiper
One of the prettiest tee shots on the course, No. 12 should make the strategic choice easy for most players. With water down the entire right side of the hole, just go left. Fairway is great. Rough is fine. It's a big par-5 anyway. With the fairway bunkers on the left side out of reach for most players off the tee, the smart play is to just hit a driver as far up the left side as you can.
If you get lucky with a fairway lie, you might want to go for this green in two. But with all that water ready to drown an errant ball, the conservative route is likely the one that will give most players their best chance to card a par or even a birdie here.
Hole No. 13 - 395 Yards - Par 4 - Goldeneye Duck
The more I think about it, this stretch of holes -- 10 through 14 -- is likely my favorite on the course and among my favorite five consecutive holes from any course I played in 2021. The 13th continues the march of great golf holes. With water right and fairway bunkers on both sides beginning at about 230 yards, the hole requires either nerves of steel with a driver in your hands or a shorter club from the tee. If you've got birdie or par in mind, you do not want to play your second shot from any of those bunkers ... and you certainly don't want to slice your tee shot into the lake.
Find the fairway, though, and you'll be left with an excellent opportunity to take away a par. The green on 13 is relatively flat, but use enough club to get the ball to the hole ... and don't go right. Once you're safely on the green, take a moment if you can to appreciate the peaceful waterfall that feeds the lake. I happened to be playing my afternoon round alone and without anybody playing behind me, and I found myself pausing to enjoy the waterfalls that feature on a number of holes throughout the course.
For a resort course late in the season, the greens at Atunyote were in absolutely fantastic shape -- rolling fast and true.
Hole No. 14 - 351 Yards - Par 4 - American Kestrel
No. 14 is another waterfall hole, but don't let its beauty distract you from the job at hand. With a creek that runs down the entire left side of the hole and a big, unforgiving fairway bunker right, this hole requires a good tee shot. Fortunately, the hole is short enough that a 3-wood or hybrid will still leave most players with a short iron or even a wedge into this green. So, if you're not confident you can find the short grass with your driver and avoid trouble, play a bit shorter off the tee to give yourself your best shot at par or better.
From the fairway, the approach shot needs to clear the water and stop quickly on this shallow green that slopes from back-left to front-right.
If I didn't have a birdie putt to try to hole (spoiler alert: I missed it), I might have sat myself down on the ground and just taken in the sights and sounds of this waterfall for a little while. It's hard to be upset by poor play when the surroundings are so peaceful.
Hole No. 15 - 400 Yards - Par 4 - Wood Thrush
Much like the 7th hole, the 15th is another near-90-degree dogleg right. With the only fairway bunker on the left side of this hole, there is room for a big ball hitter to cut the dogleg and attempt to carry a drive to the fairway somewhere inside 100 yards. The bend begins at about 235 yards, so if you can't fly the ball at least 245 or 250, the safer play is likely straight up the fairway from the tee, which still should leave most players with a shot inside 150 yards to the green.
Another green that is wider than it is deep, No. 15 doesn't allow much room to run a low shot into the putting surface. The two bunkers that front the green are deep and eager to gobble up any ball that doesn't fly to the hole.
Hole No. 16 - 141 Yards - Par 3 - Great Blue Heron
This short par-3 is guarded by five deep greenside bunkers. There is room to play long, and the green is significantly wider in the back half than the front. So take an extra club and just aim for the middle. Worst case, you'll have a chip back to the green, but you shouldn't have to contend with the bunkers.
Hole No. 17 - 418 Yards - Par 4 - Northern Oriole
No. 17 is as straightforward as they come. With sand down the right side of the fairway and right of the green, keep the ball left off the tee. Even from the rough left of the fairway on this hole, you'll find yourself with a better angle of attack to the green than just about anywhere to the right.
From the left side of the hole, players can elect to either fly the ball all the way to the hole from a good lie in the fairway or run a ball in along the ground from just about any lie as there is virtually no trouble left of the greenside bunker. Given its length, this hole isn't an easy par-4, but it's a much easier hole played down the left side than down the right.
Hole No. 18 - 547 Yards - Par 5 - Bald Eagle
One trip up the closing hole at Atunyote, and it's easy to see why this was once a stop on the PGA Tour. This fantastic, long par-5 has all the makings for a dramatic finish: length, risk-reward, water, and the beauty of both the waterfall right of the green and the clubhouse beyond to frame it perfectly for TV. Anybody who plays here should try to imagine the crowds cheering as you make your way up this finishing hole ... or groaning if you happen to dunk one in the drink on any of the three shots it's likely to take to get to the green from the tee.
It'll take a drive of about 240 yards to get past the first fairway bunker in the crook of the dogleg on 18. There's plenty of room right of the bunker off the tee, but the farther right your tee shot goes, the more challenging it's going to be to get to the green in even three on this tough par-5.
The approach to this green plays uphill to an elevated green protected by four bunkers (three front-right and one front-left). The water shouldn't be seriously in play from here, but it's easy to imagine fanning one weakly to the right and watching it splash down short of the bunkers. The bubbling waterfall almost sounds like it's calling out to your ball as you stand over it and prepare to take your shot. Find the green, though, and there could be a closing birdie in the cards for you.
Tired, but happy to have played both the Atunyote and Kaluhyat courses at Turning Stone in one day -- so glad it worked out and really thankful to head pro Jeff Kleinman for making it possible.
One of my favorite features at Turning Stone -- the coolest beverage cart I've ever seen on a golf course. The young lady driving this cart tells me they have one in blue and one in Syracuse orange. What a fun way to embrace the region's sports fandom.
I can't say enough good things about Atunyote, Kaluhyat and Turning Stone Resort Casino in general. I wish I'd had time to really spend at the resort on this trip, exploring all that it has to offer. I'm not a gambler, but it's such a beautiful area. And I've heard from some folks that Turning Stone's Shenandoah course is every bit as good as the others. Without a doubt, I'm going to have to make a return visit.
Have you played the Atunyote course at Turning Stone? Let me know what you think of it. Leave a comment below or send me an email at shawn@iputtaround.com.